384 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Aug. 



from so early a swarm, and out of the lot you 

 might have 'had one or two extra queens. 

 Nature and man w^ere made to work togeth- 

 er; and nature, without man to manipulate, 

 would be a poor standard to go by or to look 

 up to.— You will lind chaff hives q\iile effec- 

 tive in keeping the surplus boxes so the bees 

 can stay in them and work during cool 



nights. 



.^.••^ 



(^UKKNS BV WIAIL,, ANB OTHIiR lU VT- 

 TERS. 



JAMES HEODON. 



fHAVE sent out a considerable number of queens 

 by mail in several different kinds of cages dur- 

 — ■ ing the past six years. I have always had some 

 reported dead on arrival, in all sorts of cages. I am 

 now using Peet cages purchased of you, friend Koot, 

 and the same losses as before are realized. I am be- 

 ginning to think that mail-bag3 (air-tight) that are 

 thrown about in the sun, are not just the best place 

 in the world for bees. Take all the pains I may with 

 these model cages, and queens by mail are not a suc- 

 cess with any certr.inty. I use a larger and heavier 

 cage of my own got-up that takes queens by express 

 with perfect s if ety, where no unreasonable delays 

 are met with. I am almost sorry that the mails re- 

 admitted bees. 



My way of getting at the right and wrong of any 

 problem is to put myself on both sides of it. Now, 

 if I were going to order one queen I should order a 

 tested one. If fl or 25, 1 should probably order dollar 

 queens. Now, in either case I would rather pay the 

 25 or 30 cts. expressage than to have my queens sub- 

 jected to a mail-bag, if going any distance worthy of 

 note. I think I would rather have a dollar queen 

 sent me by express (if over 100 miles), at a cost of 

 $1.2.5, than by mail postage free, at $1.00. I think, as 

 you do, that a great many disputes and accusations 

 of dishonesty grow out of difference in experiences 

 regarding the same thing. For instance, Jones 

 sends Smith a selected tested queen. Jones has 

 linoiun her to produce bees of best qualities, and lots 

 of them. Smith pays S3.00 for her, and then orders 

 her by mail; and when he tests her, he pronounces 

 Jones a big fraud. She is not "prolific," her work- 

 ers are not " industrious," neither are they "quiet in 

 disposition." Now, I believe both these gentlemen 

 are honest, and that the change has been made by 

 the mail-bags. 



I have read and been told of tricks played by sev- 

 eral of our supply dealers who stand high, in this 

 very queen business. I bring to mind two noted 

 dealers, of whom I have heard of queen swindles. 

 Now, I am personally acquainted with these men; 

 and if I know that any one is honest, I know these 

 two men are. Not one word of complaint of dishon- 

 esty has ever been muttered regarding their vend- 

 ing any of the dozens of other styles of goods; "but, 

 sir, that man sent mo a tested queen that produced 

 bees, some of which were black, and not good bees 

 in minor qualifications," such as honey-gathering, 

 good nature, etc. 



Were the tests to be made, I am sure that the ship- 

 ping of queens by mail will rob their workers of not 

 only some of these " minor qualities," but of some 

 of the gold rings they wear about their abdomen, 

 that are so highly prized by some. Whether abnor- 

 mal condition endured during transit causes them 



to lose their fertility, so that thoy seek it again by 

 flying out in the new field for another fertilization or 

 not, I do not know; but that this change does take 

 place, I do know. 



I have no theories regarding the disputed question 

 of partheno-gencsis; I have only a few facts bear- 

 ing slightly upon the subject. I am not sure but 

 that, in some instances, sending queens by express, 

 in large and best cages, produces some of these 

 changes. Owing to these facts, the " bees-by-the- 

 pound" traffic will assist to protect queens ordered 

 with V4 or 1 or 2 lbs. of bees. If I am correct, I be- 

 lieve the greatly experienced Didants do not war- 

 rant the safe arrival of queens, and I shall never do 

 so by those ordered by mail. No goods should be 

 shii)ped in a manner that incurs irresponsible risk; 

 and when the transportation companies smash them 

 they are holden to the consignee, and Hof the ship- 

 per; and the guaranteeing of safe arrival is a bad 

 and should be a needless practice. It opens a hole 

 for dishonest customers to crawl into. Bees (full col- 

 onies) can now be sent with as much surety of safe 

 arrival as a box of oranges. Wo can put them up so 

 they are sure to reach their destination in perfect 

 order, if the transportation company don't blow up, 

 or slam them about. If they do, they are holden to 

 the receiver; and in some cases this receiver, rather 

 than sue for just damages, seeks to scare it out of 

 the dealer by threatening his reputation. He is sure 

 to go by the railroad company, who owe him the 

 damages, and demand it of the shipper, if he has 

 been foolish enough to "warrant safe arrival." 

 When the shipper talks to the railroad company 

 they tell him whatc\er damages there may lie, it is 

 none of his business; the goods Avere not his, and 

 they were not the moment he took his receipt; and 

 if at that moment he had learned that the one to 

 whom he had trusted them for pay was a dead beat, 

 and worthless, it requii-es a process of law to stop the 

 shipment. The shipper has this advantage: he has 

 caught the dead beat's goods away from home, and 

 can attach them for debt. I have looked at this sub- 

 ject from both sides, as I buy many orders of goods 

 during the year. 



This puts me in mind, friend Root, that of the two 

 shipments you have made me, I can bitterly com- 

 plain of loose and careless packing of the first; with 

 mistakes in the invoice, and queen-cages full of saw- 

 dust; and of the last one, two weeks' delay in send- 

 ing; mistakes in two or three articles got down so 

 cheap that they are too cheap to suit me. Get out of 

 that "square list" of fellows who just suit e\-ery- 

 body in every particular and at all times. Now that 

 you are out among the folks who are finite and 

 human, I will say that, on the whole, I am pleased 

 with my purchases of j'ou. Most of the counter 

 goods arc marvels for the money. The traffic is a 

 blessing to the consumers. It seems wonderful how 

 such blessed conveniences can be made, and so well 

 made, for such a small sum of money, or, I may say, 

 with so little labor. Thanks to the brain of man — 

 to science. 



I thank Mother Nature that she endowed me with 

 brains enough to know that you did the best you 

 knew how, to gi\e me all I oi-dered in the l)est possi- 

 ble shape, and as soon as you could. 



I got these orders to use, and I shall realize three 

 times the profits upon them, in their use, that you 

 have in their sale. 



Let it not be forgotten, that judicious purchases 



